Record number of women in work

The proportion of women in employment has reached a record 68.2%, official figures reveal.

An average of 3,500 women has been employed each week over the last 5 years, resulting in a record 14.4 million women in work.

This is the fastest growth in female employment in any of the G7 countries.

However, there are still industries where women are underrepresented despite the overall employment gender gap having narrowed:

7% of workers in the engineering sector are women

1 in 5 broadcast media professionals are female

1 in 4 science, engineering and production technicians are women.

The government has launched an online campaign designed to boost female representation in these sectors. The #NotJustForBoys social media initiative has attracted the support of influential businesses and individuals in an attempt to encourage women to become more active in the science and media industries.

Employment Minister Esther McVey said:

"The modern face of women in work in the UK is largely unrecognisable from the choices available to our grandmothers, and as part of our long-term economic plan I want to support even more women [to] make the most of the record vacancies UK businesses are creating.

"We want to energise young girls and support more women to make the choices that are right for them, and have the security of a regular wage in an industry that's driving Britain's growth."